The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Suicide

  • UNN final year student ‘commits’ suicide

    UNN final year student ‘commits’ suicide

    A final year Agricultural Economics student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) was found dead in his off-campus hostel on Sunday.

    The late Tobechukwu Okeke allegedly committed suicide over financial challenges. No suicide note was found in his room, but his mates told The Nation that the late Tobechukwu had lately expressed frustration over financial challenges.

    His department was quiet Monday, following the news. His mates were seen standing in groups, discussing the incident in hush tones. There was no lecture held for the final year students, because of the incident.

    Elizabeth Agwu, the deceased’s classmates, described him “easy-going and hardworking student”.

    She said: “He was popular in the department, because people saw him as a nice guy. He made people laugh and he was one of the best players in the department’s and faculty’s football teams.”

    The Nation learnt that late Tobechukwu was absent for lecture for two weeks, a development that left his colleagues wondering what could be happening, because he was said to have been attending lectures regularly.

    Elizabeth said: “Last week, Tobechukwu called one of our classmates to beg them for money. We don’t know the reason he committed suicide, because he was doing very well in his studies.”

    The Nation gathered that the body was evacuated from the room by a group of men and taken away in a Sienna saloon car at 7:30pm on Sunday.

    When contacted, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Okwun Omeaku, asked our reporter to send text message to him. But, he did not reply to The Nation’s text message at press time

     

  • Man commits suicide on wedding eve

    a 28-year-old man has committed suicide in Mushin, Lagos, on the eve of his wedding.

    Shakiru, popularly called Jarule, was found hanging from the ceiling of his 56, Oduduwa Street, Mushin home.

    Relatives told The Nation yesterday that the father of two was being expected in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Saturday for the event. Shakiru was said to have sent a suicide message to his sister, Mariam, which reads: “I’m sorry. Forgive me.”

    Mariam had reportedly insisted on his arriving early for the event on  noticing his attitude of late. But when the message came in around 6:30pm, she did not read it immediately. When she did, she tried to reach some of his friends, but all to no avail. She then got their elder sister who lives near him to go and find out what was happening. His sister found his room locked from inside indicating that he was at home.

    But when he did not respond to her knocks, she called Mariam, who asked her to look through the window from where she found his lifeless body dangling from the ceiling.

    Mariam said: “I called him several times to urge him to get to Osogbo on time but he told me he would arrive probably on Sunday or even Monday. I asked him what he meant by that when he knew the wedding was slated for Sunday. He quickly changed it and said he was on the way, that he would be there. I was expecting him till I got his message late at night. I called people close to his area but it didn’t go. Later I called my aunt to help me check him up. That was when she found out what happened. I had stopped calling him at a time because of his unresponsive attitude.”

    The late Shakiru also left some notes in his jotter,  bordering on love and his life trajectory. They included “I’m Done”, “If you are reading this, it’s too late.” He also wrote phrases such as “I love you” on the pictures of his two children.

    Some relatives described his death as embarrassing and unfortunate. They said he was an introvert who hardly picked their calls. It was learnt that his wife is about eight months pregnant. He was said to have proposed an abortion which his doctor warned against because “it was too late.”

    His niece, who didn’t mention her name, believes he committed suicide over financial difficulties.

    According to her, he became frustrated after the death of his mother three years ago.

    “I don’t know what he has encountered in life that should warrant suicide. Since his mother died, he has been finding it difficult to cope with life because she pampered him a lot and he didn’t lack anything. She always supported him out of love for her children. He didn’t acquire any skill that could sustain him. After her death, he was dejected. Sometimes he would complain of not eating regularly, his job was not paying much and that he was getting tired of life.

    “But I don’t understand his problem because even his children are not under his care. It is the family that has been catering for them. This wedding we ought to be doing now is not on him. All we required was of him to make himself available. We even sent money to him when he complained he didn’t have money. The wife’s family has been complaining that he was not doing anything on her.”

    Another relative said he didn’t believe the late Shakiru committed suicide because of financial constraints. The deceased, he said, just received N36,000 from a thrift society the previous week.

    The Nation learnt that the police are detaining four persons living with the late Shakiru.

  • Suicide bomber killed at IDPs’ camp

    A male would-be suicide bomber was at the weekend killed at the Bakaasi Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs’) camp in Damboa, Borno State.

    According to Acting Director, Army Public Relations Col. Sani Usman, the bomber, about 9 am yesterday, attempted to infiltrate troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE deployed behind the camp. He was, however, shot by a sniper before he could detonate his Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

    Col. Usman said: “The vigilant sentry sighted the bomber and laid in wait until he came close. He instantly shot him as he tried to force his way to the western flank of the camp’s fence.

    “His IED vest did not detonate and a combined team of military and police Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) have been called to detonate the IED. The situation at the camp and the general area is calm.”

  • Man, 60, commits suicide over ‘severe hunger’

    A sixty-year-old man, Okporo Arigo, has reportedly committed suicide in a bush at Uwheru in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State because of “severe hunger”.

    The late Arigo was said to have left a suicide note, which said he was abandoned by his brother while he had nothing to feed on.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, told our reporter that the late Arigo left behind a sick wife and an unspecific number of children.

    He said the late Arigo had a younger brother, who is a councillor, but had not been paid in the last 10 months by the state government.

    The source added: “I don’t think the man would have died if the state government had been paying the councillors their salaries. I believe the payment was part of what that led to the death of the councillor’s brother.”

    Efforts to reach the councillor and the community leaders to confirm the incident were unsuccessful last night.

    But a community youth leader confirmed the incident, saying Arigo’s death was painful.

     

  • Three female suicide bombers shot dead in Borno

    A major attack by terrorist group, Boko Haram, was averted by soldiers in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State after three female suicide bombers were neutralised.

    According to Army Headquarters, the female suicide bombers had attempted to attack a military location in

    the town.

    The troops were alerted by the members of the vigilante group who noticed that the three women looked suspicious and walked awkwardly with bulging hijab distinct from other female farmers.

    According to the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, the suicide bombers noticed they were being observed and attempted to detonate the

    bombs at the military location.

    Usman said: “When the suicide bombers noticed that they were being observed, they hurriedly ran towards troops, aiming to detonate it on them.

    “The troops neutralised two of the female suicide bombers while the other ran back into the bush but was pursued.

    “Unfortunately, a soldier sustained injuries due to the impact of the explosion.

    “The wounded soldier is currently receiving treatment at a military medical centre and he is in stable condition.”

    Troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army stationed in Anchau, Kubau Local Government Area, Kaduna State, also arrested two kidnappers in the process of collecting ransom from a kidnap victim’s family in the area.

    The arrest followed a tip off by well-meaning Nigerians that the kidnappers had arrived Dutsen Wai for ransom collection from their victim’s family.

    Troops were said to have trailed the kidnappers in an

    unmarked car.

    Army spokesman, Col. Usman, said the kidnappers who were operating along Abuja-Kaduna road fled towards Zaria in a Honda car with registration number AJ 183 ABJ when they realised that they were being trailed.

    “Consequently, the pursuing troops alerted the police stationed in Soba. In the process of fleeing, the kidnappers overran the police checkpoints at Soba and Maigana and proceeded to Zaria where they were

    finally apprehended,” he said.

    Items recovered from the suspected kidnappers include a Honda Accord car, one mobile telephone handset, four MTN and one Airtel subscribers identified module (SIM) cards, 1 micro SD card, a national identity card, an INEC voters registration card, a Miyetti Allah cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria Identity Card, United Bank for Africa and Keystone Bank Debit Cards, cash sum of N12,710 and a notebook containing several names, addresses and telephone numbers of kidnap victims’ families and relations.

  • Man, 92, ‘commits suicide’ in Ebonyi

    A 92-year-old man, Horri Oko Eluu, has allegedly committed suicide at Amangballa in Afikpo North Local Government of Ebonyi State.

    The Nation learnt villagers woke up and discovered the nonagenarian’s body dangling from a rope at the Ogo square.

    An eyewitness told our reporter that the deceased’s sons, who were surprised at the incident, untied their father’s body and took it to Mater Miscrecordia Hospital mortuary in Afikpo.

    The source said the deceased had been battling one of his brothers over a land.

    But one of the sons, Mr. Okpara Oko, dismissed such insinuation.

    He said: “The matter was decided by the community. It was resolved in his favour. Our father never had any problem, as we took care of him.”

    Okpara confirmed that his body had been taken to a mortuary.

    He said the police were investigating the incident.

    Police spokesman George Okafor said one of the deceased’s sons, Michael, reported the incident.

    He added: “The complainant said his father was found hanging at the village square. He said when he got to the scene he was still breathing and he quickly untied the rope and took him to Mater Miscrecordia Hospital, Afikpo, where he later died while undergoing treatment.”

    The spokesman said when the police visited the scene, they saw a rope and a stool.

    He said although investigation was on, there was no suspicion of a foul play, adding that “we are awaiting the result of the autopsy.”

  • Suicide attack at Pakistani mosque kills 25

    At least 25 worshippers were killed yesterday in a  suicide attack at a Pakistani mosque, according to  officials.

    Thirty-four others were wounded in the attack in Mohmand Agency, a district in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas north of Peshawar, Jamaat-ul-Ahra, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

    The  suicide bomber detonated the explosive  inside the packed hall of the mosque, which has a capacity of 100 to 150 people.

    Screams of trapped and wounded  worshippers could be heard after the blast.

    Body parts littered the floor of the mosque.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack, but vowed that “the cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government’s  resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.”

    Jamaat-ul-Ahra has carried out several major attacks in Pakistan this year, including a bombing on August 8 that targeted lawyers and journalists and killed more than 72 people.

     

  • Pupil commits suicide

    A Junior Secondary School 2 (JSS 2) pupil of Gyegeh Memorial College, Logo, Makurdi, Benue State, has committed suicide.

    She was said to have taken  a substance believed to be posion.

    The pupil was taken to a hospital in Akpehe, a suburb of Makurdi, where doctors confirmed her dead on arrival.

    Her friend, who pleaded for anonymity, said she committed suicide  because her partner, Labi, a pork meat seller at Wurukum Market, abandoned her after putting  her in the family way.

     

  • JSS II student commits suicide over boyfriend

    Jessica Beer, a Junior Secondary School (JSS)  II  student of Gyegeh Memorial College Logo1 , Makurdi, Benue state, has committed suicide.

    The female student according sources drank substance believed to be poison and was rushed to a clinic in Akpehe, before doctors confirmed her dead on arrival .

    A close friend of the deceased, who would rather want to remain anonymous, told the Nation that the girl committed suicide  because her boyfriend by name Labi, a pork meat seller at Wurukum Market in Makurdi impregnated and abadoned her and then impregnated another girl.

    Residents of Akpehe who were startled by the news rushed to the clinic to catch a glimpse of the remains of the girl.

     

  • Ex-NEPA staff commits suicide in Ibadan

    A former member of staff of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), Mr Popoola Adepoju, committed suicide in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital Tuesday evening.

    The deceased hanged himself in his house marked No 17 at Ayegbami Zone 7 and the entire community of Idi Ose along Akanran Road in the Ona Ara Local Government Area of Ibadan.

    He was said to have used a rope to tie himself to a ceiling fan in his room till he died.

    Adepoju, 48, was said to have sent his children out of his earlier in the evening before hanging himself. His wife had also gone to shop where she sells cement.

    The deceased was disengaged from the NEPA establishment at Abeokuta two years ago but had not been paid his entitlements, according to his family. He went into selling of cement to sustain his family.

    The deceased left a three-sheet suicide note which initially caused a controversy between some members of the family and the police as they refused to release it to the police. The two police officers then left in annoyance. Upon persuasion, the note was eventually released to the General Chairman of the Idi Ose community, Chief Taiwo Alimi JP.

    Chief Alimi later led the community members and the deceased’s relatives to the Akanran Police Division where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Aliko Dankoli, (CSP), gave the directive that they should go and bury the corpse as requested.

    Speaking glowingly about the character of Adepoju, the Zonal Chairman of the area, Mr Saudi, said that the deceased “was a very good man. He was very accommodating to all. He was gentle and was always contributing his quota to the development of this area. He was very cooperating. His death is painful and we are all going to miss him,” he said.

    Chief Alimi said the community felt sad by the death, but added: “We thank God that the death was not caused by anybody. We have accepted the incident with equanimity and faith in God. I pray that God should be with the family of the deceased, as well as the entire residents of Idi Ose. May God grant the soul of the departed repose.”

    Other neighbours and church members were left in shock, saying they still saw him the previous day with any premonition of the sad incident.

    His remains were later buried in his compound.